FROM

The NY Times broke the story on Friday, December 20th. Carriage Driver Is
Charged With Animal Cruelty - A carriage horse driver with a checkered
history was charged on Friday with animal cruelty after a police officer
observed him working a horse that was visibly injured, according to court
documents.

The officer, Brian Coll, was on patrol in Central Park shortly before
midnight on Wednesday when he noticed a horse struggling to pull the weight
of the carriage to which it was yoked. He questioned the driver, Saverio
Colarusso, and learned that the horse, Blondie, had been hurt for four days,
according to court documents. Despite the injury, Mr. Colarusso had worked
Blondie for five hours that day, Officer Coll testified in the complaint. He
then summoned Sgt. Raymond Aviles, a mounted police officer with training in
dealing with horses. "The horse had an injury to the rear left leg," Officer
Coll testified, "causing it to have difficulty walking and substantial
pain." Mr. Colarusso was arrested. If found guilty, he could face a fine of
up to $1,000 and a year in jail.

It is not the first time Mr. Colarusso has gotten in trouble. In 2010, he
was charged with drinking while on duty after being spotted drinking a beer
while standing next to his carriage. Two other bottles of liquor were found
inside the carriage. He has also been fined for driving his horse through
city streets at unauthorized times, failing to keep a daily log and not
turning on the lamps on the side of his carriage after dark.

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